Daedelus , 'Love to Make Music To' (Ninja Tune)

Alfred "Daedelus" Darlington is a proponent of Edwardian dandyism for the Internet age, and his electronic whimsy has been influenced equally by Coldcut's chopped-up beats and Bernard Herrmann's orchestral Vertigo. But on Love to Make Music To, the L.A. producer unveils a nocturnal soundtrack toughened up by booty bass ("My Beau"), hardcore techno (the astringent "Hrs:Mins: Secs"), and coked-out club rap (the slurry "Touchtone" with Paperboy and Sa-Ra's Taz). Daedelus' furious stylistic shifts are engrossing (if challenging), and when he closes the album with the glowing predawn ballad "You're the One," it sounds like hard-won catharsis.